NBA Grind Down Friday, December 5th - Page Three
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Orlando at Utah
- Vegas Line – Utah -4.5, 192.5 Over/Under
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Oladipo-Fournier-Harris-Frye-Vucevic(Q)
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hood-Hayward-Favors-Kanter
| Orlando | Utah | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 192.5 |  | Vegas Total | 192.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 4.5 | Vegas Sprd | -4.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 94.0 | Team Proj. | 98.5 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 95.81 | Team Pace | 92.88 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Victor Oladipo | Evan Fournier | Tobias Harris | Channing Frye | Nikola Vucevic | Proj Starter | Trey Burke | Rodney Hood | Gordon Hayward | Derrick Favors | Enes Kanter | |
| Opp. Season | 22 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 4 | Opp. Season | 19 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 29 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 30 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 21 | Opp. Last 7 | 19 | 8 | 20 | 22 | 10 | |
Orlando
Nikola Vucevic is currently listed as questionable for tonight’s game. He has sat out the last two games with back spasms. We likely won’t have an update on his status until after the first games tip-off, so you may want to avoid both him and Kyle O’Quinn on sites that lock lineups. Kyle O’Quinn would make a great value play on DK though with the late-swap feature. In terms of the matchup, this is a favorable one. The Jazz are ranked 28th in defensive efficiency, giving up 102.7 points per game to their opponents.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays
Tobias Harris (FD: $7200, DK: $6800 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 23.7)
Harris continues to play well for the Magic. On the season, he is averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. His minutes were down last game as the Magic were blown off the floor, but that shouldn’t be an issue tonight against the Jazz. Even though the Jazz have been good defensively against SFs, Harris may have to shoulder the load offensively if Vucevic is out again tonight.
Kyle O’Quinn (FD: $4800, DK: $3600 / MPG: 16 / Usage Rate: 25.4)
O’Quinn would make a terrific value play if, and only if, Nikola Vucevic is ruled out. O’Quinn is a talented big man when he’s not getting thrown out of games for flagrant fouls. O’Quinn could make a nice play on a late-swap site such as DK.
Utah
I saw a stat the other day when I was watching the Jazz game. It said that they had been down by double-digits in something like ten straight games. That’s not a great statistic to see if you are a Jazz fan (I would know). Hopefully they can break the streak tonight as they take on a struggling Magic team at home. The Jazz are 4.5-point favorites in this one.
*Injury Note: Alec Burks has been ruled out for tonight’s game. Rodney Hood will start in his place.
Elite Plays
Gordon Hayward (FD: $7500, DK: $7800 / MPG: 35 / Usage Rate: 25)
Hayward has had a couple of subpar fantasy outings in a row, which should throw DFS players off of his trail for tonight. That’s more than fine with me, as Hayward draws a favorable matchup against the Magic at home. With Alec Burks out, Hayward may have to pick up the slack offensively. There are few games during the season where the Jazz are actually favored and this is one of them. Hayward has an impressive usage rate of 25.0 on the season and gets to face a Magic team that is ranked 22nd in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing SFs.
Secondary Plays
Enes Kanter (FD: $5700, DK: $5700 / MPG: 25 / Usage Rate: 25.4)
Kanter is finally starting to see consistent minutes at center and he has played well recently. He has topped 25 fantasy points in four of his last five games, including three where he topped 34 fantasy points. Tonight he squares off against the Magic, who are ranked 29th in fantasy points allowed per 48 minutes to opposing centers.
Indiana at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – Sacramento -3, 193 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Stuckey-Hill-Copeland-West-Hibbert
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Collison-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Hollins
| Indiana | Sacramento | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 193.0 |  | Vegas Total | 193.0 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.00 | Vegas Sprd | -3.00 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 95.0 | Team Proj. | 98.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 93.56 | Team Pace | 95.56 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proj Starter | Rodney Stuckey | Solomon Hill | Chris Copeland | David West | Roy Hibbert | Proj Starter | Darren Collison | Ben McLemore | Rudy Gay | Jason Thompson | Ryan Hollins | |
| Opp. Season | 24 | 7 | 11 | 29 | 8 | Opp. Season | 25 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 26 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 24 | 13 | 4 | 28 | 19 | Opp. Last 7 | 27 | 4 | 14 | 23 | 1 | |
Indiana
The Pacers will be playing the second half of back-to-back road games. They are one of the slowest-paced teams in the league, which typically hurts fantasy production wherever they go. The Pacers mixed up their starting lineup last night by sending Donald Sloan to the bench and starting Chris Copeland instead. This doesn’t make a huge fantasy impact other than improving Rodney Stuckey’s fantasy appeal, as he is now the Pacers’ starting PG.
Elite Plays
Rodney Stuckey (FD: $4800, DK: $4600 / MPG: 22 / Usage Rate: 27.4)
Stuckey has a very high usage rate for a player at his price point. Now that he is starting at PG, he should become a much more reliable fantasy option. His price is still extremely cheap on both FD and DK. He only needs to score 24 fantasy points to reach value, which he is more than capable of. Stuckey will likely be a staple in my cash games and my tournament lineups tonight.
Secondary Plays
None
Sacramento
DeMarcus Cousins will not play tonight against the Pacers. Ryan Hollins will draw another start in his place. If anything, Cousins’ absence actually gives the biggest fantasy boost to Rudy Gay and Darren Collison, as both will be asked to make up for the lost production that Cousins provides. In terms of the matchup, this one leaves much to be desired, as the Pacers are one of the slowest-paced teams in the league and are only giving up 96.0 points per game to their opponents.
Elite Plays
Rudy Gay (FD: $8100, DK: $7700 / MPG: 36 / Usage Rate: 26.2)
Gay will be the go-to scorer tonight for the Kings. On the season, he is averaging 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. My favorite statistic is his usage rate of 26.2. That will likely go up after tonight’s game, as he should see a ton of shot attempts with Cousins out of the lineup. Gay will likely have a low level of ownership tonight, making him one of my favorite targets for tournaments.
Darren Collison (FD: $7400, DK: $6700 / MPG: 34 / Usage Rate: 20.7)
Darren “Cash Game” Collison should live up to his nickname that I just gave him. He has been one of the most consistent fantasy options in the NBA this season. His price on FD may be a little high, but he offers good value on DK. He draws a favorable matchup tonight against the Pacers, who are ranked below average in fantasy points allowed to PGs this season.
Secondary Plays
None